New Delhi:
She spoke to her father late at 1:49 am, right after he finished his work shift and was headed home. A 17-year-old allegedly driving at 104 kmph rammed the man's scooter in Kochi with his Mercedes Benz around 2:20 am on Sunday. The 55-year-old man, Jayabalakrishnan, a street food vendor, died on the spot. The daughter, Bhadrakeerthi, told NDTV that she was woken up from sleep when cops called her at 4:30 am, telling her about the accident involving her father.
The accused, son of an additional district sessions judge, secured bail twice in rapid succession - first at the police station after his judge father arrived within 45 minutes of the crash, and again before a magistrate following the family's late-night protest.
The father, in whose name the Mercedes is registered, said his son was driving for the first time on that day. Bhadrakeerthi, the victim's daughter, claims that is not true.
"We have evidence that he (the minor) drove before. His father is trying to save him. He had sent some snap shots to his friends driving at 200 kmph," Bhadrakeerthi told NDTV.
Independent checks of the teenager's social media presence and accounts from police sources contradicted the claim of a novice driver testing a vehicle for the first time.
Prior to the crash, the minor operated a public Instagram handle with over 2,500 followers where he regularly posted driving reels. Sources said several videos showed him clocking speeds of up to 200 kmph in the same Mercedes-Benz. Within hours of the Sunday morning crash, all posts on the handle were deleted and the Instagram account was switched to private.
Cops at the site of accident in Kochi where a 55-year-old man was run over by a Mercedes
Photo Credit: IANS
"My cousin was taking care of all police procedure. The father of that culprit was very rude and very arrogant towards us. He was saying, 'Don't question me. You have no right to question me. You don't teach me law. I know everything. If you want to question, just question the police. You don't talk to me like that.' His son killed my father and he is supporting his son. What is this?" Bhadrakeerthi said.
Kochi hit-and-run case: Victim's family alleges a cover-up after Kerala judge son's Mercedes crash. @vedikas speaks to the family on #BreakingGround. https://t.co/RvPErT68Vw
— NDTV (@ndtv) October 26, 2026
"Even if he's 17 or 35, a criminal is always a criminal. If his father is saving him, then the father will go to jail. That is the only way," she said.
Bhadrakeerthi claimed that the "police were afraid as the victim's father is a judge but we are commoners".
The Mercedes Benz involved in the Kochi hit-and-run case
Photo Credit: IANS
"They were very afraid to take any action against the culprit and his father, the so-called judge. We are commoners, they can do anything to us. That's what happened," she said, narrating what happened.
"It is 100% sure that if you have money the law will be on your side. If you are a commoner the law will be different," the victim's daughter, who was in Hyderabad, claimed.